Review Roundup – “Hello, Cruel World”

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1. listed although i’m having a hard time with all of the info that we’re getting so far! it’s like we have new writers!!

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2. listed although i’m having a hard time with all of the info that we’re getting so far! it’s like we have new writers!!

   Reply

3. listed although with all of the info being thrown at us, it’s difficult! almost like we have new writers!

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4. Hey Alice! Thanks for the great review this and last week, plus the review round ups. FYI, I also like Zack Handlen’s reviews http://www.avclub.com/articles/hello-cruel-world,62373/ , as he seems to be pretty fair, although expects high standards from our show.

   I do agree with you in that I too liked this second episode even better than the premiere (but I think I am in the minority too as I actually loved Exile on Main Street!) Season 4 is my favourite as well, but in my case it vies for its spot with Season 1, so maybe I just enjoy being contrary!

   But I loved the way you summed this episode up: Creature of the Black Lagoon meets A Beautiful Mind. Only on Supernatural. And only Ben Edlund. He is indeed a magnificent bastard. Can he please write everything from here on in? The Monster of the Week and brothers’ stories were weaved together so effortlessly (and here again I perhaps differ from a lot of people in that it reminded me of Metamorphosis but in a good way – that scene in the motel room where Dean says ‘if I didn’t know you, I would wanna hunt you’ is in my top ten scenes’). But I do agree Space Oddity was perfection 🙂

   I think the thing for me about the Leviathans (at least so far, as we are only two episodes in, which I think some reviewers are forgetting) is that the writers are not putting all their eggs/monsters in one basket a la the Mother of All, but have picked more than one (good) actor to reveal little bits and pieces of creepiness. After all, we cannot always have a Mark Pellegrino; and even he was interwoven with Mark Sheppard, who is not exactly ‘chopped brains on toast’.

   But this feels very old school Supernatural. It is a fine line to not show too much, but not build it up so much that anything is an anti-climax (let alone a certain random well-meaning ‘mother’, who, we can only assume, got lost on the way to a casting call for Beverly Hills 90210). I don’t know The Shield, but the muscle car guy is excellent as was the creepy little girl. And you can tell it was a good episode when the B story gets you hooked, let alone Sam and Dean’s plot.

   I like the way you pointed out Bobby’s key role here in the ‘A’ story. I hadn’t thought of it like that. I just knew in Season 4 and 5, Bobby often found himself playing Devil’s advocate to whatever the boys were doing, without much rhyme or reason. Or at least that is what it felt like to me. This feels three-dimensional and real. I did not notice how he took over bandaging Sam’s hand so thanks for pointing that out, Alice. And although he is definitely [i]in loco parentis[/i] for the boys, sometimes I cannot decide whether his role is motherly or fatherly or a combination of the two!

   Jared was phenomenal in this episode. Sam broke my heart, particularly when he said ‘He says the same thing about you’. Ouch. Reminded me of Swan Song when Dean says: ‘Well then I’m not gonna let him die alone’. Kudos Mr Padalecki, nicely done sir.

   I agree with you and (unusually) disagree with Mo Ryan. I think the warehouse scene was brilliant – and while I take her point that she wished the Winchesters could have connected through anything other than pain, the whole point was that Sam could not trust his eyes and ears. His [i]mind[/i] was playing tricks on him so he had to switch to something more visceral, to the physical, to sensation, to something that was only of the [i]body[/i] and [i]not [/i]of the mind. Like someone said in the comments on Mo’s page, it is like pinching yourself to wake up.

   I like your point about Sam not wanting to die. I think the gun-cleaning could be interpreted as the reaction of a soldier preparing for battle. He has not given up. And he latches on to Dean’s plea to believe in him. The Winchesters together are always stronger than apart. I still wonder if the ‘professional’ route is one that could be taken – if not medication, then someone to talk to. As long, of course, as they do not end up with their eyes burned out…

   I do wonder about Lucifer reaching out from the Cage, though. Maybe some sort of connection needs to be severed? The seizure is worrying – although maybe it is just Sam’s body reaching the end of its tether and his intracranial pressure hitting that point. But coming after having just seen Lucifer again seems coincidental, particularly for a Winchester (by the way has anyone seen The Medusa Touch’? That film creeped me out as a child and just now writing about Lucifer so casually reminded me of it). And yes the end of the episode left me yelling at my laptop like a lunatic on a perfectly nice Saturday morning!

   I actually don’t think that Castiel’s loss was short-changed. Mostly because I don’t think he is dead, but also because, that is what happens in battle. You keep going even though brothers-in-arms fall (I found Guy Bee’s likening on the podcast to folding up the trench coat to folding up a flag at a military funeral, fascinating). I do think the loss of Bobby’s house could have done with at least one line though.

   And when Dean did reach his breaking point, Jensen, as always, was ridiculously good – particularly in the complete lack of melodrama on the phone to Bobby when he said ‘You said you would be here. Where are you?’ – So much more devastating than over-playing it. And Dean talking Sam down in the warehouse; going from ‘this conversation does not require a weapons discharge!’ to ‘You make it stone no. 1 and you build on it’. Worry, protectiveness, humour, desperation, loathing hurting his brother, relief…..wow. Mr Ackles, as always, I salute you.

   Guy Bee is brilliant and seems to be fast becoming part of the furniture – in a GOOD way (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0gNMQsImoQ) ! In the way that Jared and Jensen and the others seem to trust him in the way they trusted Kim Manners so that they can let go and really ‘go there’. I hope and wish he joins Supernatural more permanently like Phil Scriggia etc. Pretty please? And on a Kim note, Kim Rhodes is a fantastic addition to the cast, as is Sheriff Mills to the Winchesters’ world. A big sister for Sam ‘n’ Dean, how cool is that? Sera Gamble, don’t you dare kill her off!!!

   Random thoughts:
   • Did the opening of Sam’s hallucinations in the premiere sound like fairy bells as well as metal chains to anyone else?
   • It rings so true that Dean could not forgive Cas. The one unforgiveable thing in Dean’s world is hurting Sam.
   • There is no way Bobby is dead. He is ‘checking up’ on Sheriff Mills 😉
   • Although Dean has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, neither Bobby or Sam are much better, and Bobby seems to aid and abet Dean in his addiction.
   • I love, love, love Dean’s longer hair.

   Can’t wait for this week’s episode!!! Roll on Fraturday 🙂

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